Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season
by The Cowgirl Bookworm
Summary: A series of short chapters detailing Horatio's discovery of Kyle and how he and Laila react. Part of Time to Heal.
1. Dangerous Son

Horatio slumped down into a chair the minute he got home. He couldn't believe it. It, it was just to strange. He had a son. Children, he had never thought he would have a child. Why would Julia not tell him? He tried to remember back, all those years ago. All he could remember was waking up one day and Julia was gone. Her phone number had been changed, her car taken, no trace that she had ever been there. Horatio had chalked it up to Julia's strange behavior. Sometimes she would talk to him like they were in some romance movie, others she would berate him for some trivial event. When she had left, he figured it was healthier for the both of them._  
_

He hadn't thought to ever hear from her again. And then Valera had told him he had a son. A son that had been to juvie, arrested for drinking, and then tried to kidnap a woman. Horatio raked his fingers through his hair, frustrated. Christ, how could this have happened? Julia had just left, never telling him what had happened, that she was pregnant. What was he going to do? He could file for custody of Kyle, bring him here. And then say what? _Hi son, meet my girlfriend. You'll be living with us from now on. Laila, this is my son. Don't worry, he's headed off to prison soon._

Kyle didn't even know that he was his father. All he was to Kyle was someone that had gotten him arrested, Kyle would probably never want to hear from him again. Should he do that though? Let the son he had never known walk out of his life, just like his mother? Horatio jerked his head up as he heard a key scrape in the lock. Laila walked in, dressed in a sports bra and running shorts. From the sand on her tennis shoes he immediately guessed she had been running the beach.

"Horatio, you're home early." She said, a wide smile splitting her features. He could feel her eyes on him, looking, probing. "Something's wrong. Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, everyone is fine. I just got some, news today. That's all." Horatio told her, resuming his pensive state of mind.

"Nothing bad, I hope?"

"No, just confusing." He said. Laila walked over to him, sitting across from him. She offered him a sad little smile. Horatio returned it, looking into her face. He found that helped calm him, made his thoughts a little clearer.

"Horatio, if you need to you can tell me. I won't push it." Laila said, rising. "But right now, all I want is a shower." As she walked past him she leaned down and kissed his cheek briefly, then ruffled his hair. He could hear the water running, Laila's voice humming some melody that he couldn't place. Horatio left the chair he had been in, walking to the balcony that overlooked the ocean.

_Can I tell Kyle that I'm his father? Or would it just drive him further away? _Horatio tightened his fingers around the balcony rail, blue eyes fixed on bluer water. God, why hadn't he tracked down Julia when she had left? Because he had been undercover, and his job was more important. He wasn't quite sure how long he had stood there, staring out over the water. He let his thoughts wander, seeing himself with Julia instead of Laila. He could see a little happiness in that life, raising Kyle as his own instead of the boy being jounced from foster home to foster home. But so much of it was dark. Fights between him and Julia, and he could never picture her staying.

"Damn." He whispered, cursing the current state of events. He walked back inside, noting Laila sitting in her robe, reading the latest novel she had picked up. He stood there, just considering his options. He finally made up his mind and sat down, gesturing for Laila to look at him.

"Laila, I have a son." He stated, simply laying out the facts. Laila's book clattered onto the coffee table between them, her eyes startled. "I just found out today."

"A son, you have a son." Laila spoke slowly, like she was trying out what he was saying. She looked like she was going to faint, her face pale. "Okay, just give me a minute." Horatio watched as she got up, her book forgotten as she made her way back to the bedroom. She emerged a few minutes later, her color back. "We can deal with this. I don't care if you cheated Horatio, I love you too much for that. I'm sure we can-"

"No." Horatio chuckled lightly. "I haven't cheated on you. Kyle, my son, is sixteen years old." He laughed a little as Laila's face relaxed. "He was brought in for connection with a murder case. Turns out he's been in juvie and was on probation. Then he fled from the Coast Guard, and now he's going to prison."

"Oh Horatio." Laila whispered. "And you never knew?"

"No, his mother just disappeared one day. She didn't even tell me that she was pregnant. And I just couldn't help thinking that he wouldn't have done all those things if I had been there."

"Horatio Caine do not think like that." Laila stated firmly. Horatio was surprised when she abandoned her chair, instead moving to the coffee table so she could grab his hands. He loved those hands, her long fingers smooth and warm from the shower. "It isn't your fault. I don't even know the whole story and I could tell you that."

"I haven't even told him. He doesn't know that I'm his father."

"Are you going to?"

"I'm not sure." Horatio admitted, looking down at his hands.

"You'll do the right thing, Horatio." Laila said, kissing his hands. "You always have."

* * *

**AN: So these are just going to be some short little vignettes, about a 1000 words or so.**


	2. Inside Out

"HORATIO CAINE! You answer this goddamn phone right now!" Laila's voice, distorted by fear and the phone's speaker, was loud enough to make Horatio immediately call her back. He was driving back from the prison, after he had left Kyle off. Her phone only rang once before she answered.

"Jesus Christ! Did you want to give me a heart attack?" Laila sounded worried, and he had to smile a bit at her concern. "I mean prisoner breakouts, Tripp being beaten, did you expect me to be cool about all this?"

"No, I didn't." Horatio kept his voice calm. "But I didn't realize you would be so concerned."

"Horatio, it's hard for me not to worry sometimes. Besides, one of those prisoners was Kyle. I remember you telling me today was his court date, and then all the radio can talk about is a prisoner escape, and it's on every news channel. As is word about an officer involved shooting and something happening at the prison. Now tell me, what part of that am I not supposed to be worried about?"

Horatio kept quiet a minute before answering. "I understand. Believe me, I do."

"Then what happened?"

He explained to her about the prisoner escape, how Kyle had turned himself in, and she remained quiet the whole time. "I told Kyle I was his father."

"And?"

"We didn't have much time to chat. But, I think I got through."

"Horatio," Laila spoke quietly. "Get home. Please." He obliged, parking the Hummer outside the high-rise less than thirty minutes later. When he opened the door, he wasn't surprised to see her standing out on the balcony. He stopped in the doorway, noting her appearance. Her makeup was smudged, like she had been rubbing at her face. When she turned her head, he saw her brown eyes were filled with tears. He walked over, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She didn't say anything, she didn't have to. All she did was slide her arms around him, placing her head on his chest.

"Better?" He asked, getting an answer when she nodded into his chest. He heard her draw in a breath before she stepped back.

"What are you going to do?" Laila said, moving to one of the chairs. He lowered himself into the other one and thought.

"He'll be in that prison for months. Until his trial date." He muttered. "And if he's guilty, he'll go back."

"Is he?"

"Yes. But if the jury judges him innocent, or even just deserving of probation. I will file for custody." Horatio let his thoughts out, not holding them back. Laila didn't give much of a reaction, only reaching over to cover his hand with hers. "I don't want him to be alone. By sixteen, I was practically alone. And he's been bouncing through foster care."

"And you want to help him." She didn't sound angry, nor impassioned. She just stated it as a fact.

"Yes."

"Then I will do what I can to do the same. Nobody deserves to be alone." She smiled. "Not you, not Kyle. When his trial comes, tell me and I'll go. If you do get custody of him, I don't want him to think that you've been alone, or that he will."

"Thank you."

* * *

**AN: So, these are probably going to range from 500-1000 words. Just little insights, nothing too major. **


	3. Raising Caine

Laila picked at a stray string on her skirt, anxious. The courtroom had a small crowd in it. Lawyers, jury members, the judge. There were only a few other spectators beside her, mostly law students who had come in to view a case. She could see Kyle, exactly as Horatio had described him. Shaggy blond hair, roughly cut with just a hint of the Caine red peeking through. She could see Horatio in his eyes though, that same blue she knew and loved.

She was standing against one of the glass walls, watching. Another woman entered the room, drawing her eye. She was wearing a low cut, tight fitting black dress. Her dirty blonde hair reached almost down to her waist, and her green-brown eyes almost seemed to large for her face. They made her want to squirm out of their gaze. If she had to describe her in one phrase, it was an ethereal, feminine, harsh beauty. Laila watched as the woman looked around like she owned the place, finally settling on Kyle. When her back was turned, Laila found a seat. Horatio stood in the back, on his feet the whole time. He stepped over, leaning over to whisper to her.

"That woman is Kyle's mother, Julia." He whispered, and then backed away.

When the court couldn't find Kathleen, the key witness, Laila felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. It was all too planned, and when Julia spoke to Horatio she bit her tongue. Everything seemed to point to Kyle getting out, but that would lead to Kyle having to decide who to go with. Horatio or Julia. Finally, the judge declared the matter dismissed and Kyle free to go. He also told him to pick which parent he would go with.

It was all to obvious who he would pick after he hugged Julia.

Laila placed a hand on Horatio's shoulders after the judge spoke. When he looked over she gave him a small, sad smile. He drew in a deep breath and let it out, his shoulder rising and sinking beneath her palm.

"Who is this?" Julia asked, Kyle at her side.

"Julia, not here." Horatio's voice was firm, his own hand on her back now. Laila avoided Julia's crazy eyes, instead looking at Kyle. He was looking at her, both of them examining and judging the other. Kyle seemed to glare at her a little, she tried her best to not glare back. "Outside, alright?"

"I'll just head off." Laila nodded to Julia. "Don't be late getting home, okay?" She slid her eyes over to Julia, then leaned up slightly and kissed Horatio's cheek. She gave Kyle a smile, one for Julia as well. "It was nice to meet both of you." Laila walked out of the courtroom, down to the parking lot, only looking back when she heard her name called. Kyle was standing by the door. "Yes?"

"Are you and my dad...?" Kyle trailed off, brushing his hands over his borrowed suit.

"Together? Yeah." Laila shrugged her shoulders. "But I'm not going to stop you from seeing him or anything." Kyle seemed surprised at that. "Kyle, I love your father. And, if you want to get to know him more, then that's perfectly fine. I'd like to get to know you as well." She looked up, Horatio and Julia walking out of the building. "And Kyle, if you need anything, a place to sleep, someone to talk to. I will be available. Okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded before moving over to Julia. Horatio watched them go, before coming to her._  
_

"He'll be alright." She said, gently taking his hand. "He's strong. Like you."

"Let's hope so." Horatio replied, squeezing her hand. "Let's hope."


	4. Ambush

"I have to go." Horatio said as he packed his suitcase. Laila watched from the door, a hand over her mouth. A marshal waited in their living room, Horatio's company for this trip. She took a couple steps forward, unsure of exactly what she should do.

"Where? Why?" She whispered. "This is all so sudden. Horatio, I'm getting a bad feeling."

"Rio de Janeiro. As for why," Horatio stepped over, cupping her face in his hands. "Things I am not proud of."

"Should I worry?"

"No. Never worry," Horatio pressed his lips to her forehead. "I have to leave." He stepped away, grabbed his bag and left. Laila watched the marshal close the door, unwilling to meet her eyes. She pressed a hand to her temple, tears stinging at her eyes. Why would he have to go to Rio? She paced around her apartment, finally giving up and leaving. She needed to wander, to let her feet find their own way while she puzzled things out in her head.

Rio, Rio. What had he done in Rio? She tried to remember back, back to one of their late night conversations. For some reason they had gotten stuck on the subject of old flames and he had mentioned Marisol Delko. The poor girl had been killed a few weeks after they had broken up, and he mentioned that he and Eric had gone to Rio to find the killer. But what would necessitate him going back?

"Laila! Where's Dad?" A voice called suddenly. She looked over, a blonde spiky head catching her eye. Kyle was driving the black convertible he had been gifted with that day at the courthouse. "He won't answer his cell phone."

"He left." She replied, glancing at the red light.

"Why?" Kyle cut his eyes over to the light. "Get in, I'll drive back to your place." Laila darted past a single lane of traffic, sliding into the seat just as the light changed. Kyle drove a little ways before circling back. "So he left?"

"Came back, packed a bag and said he had to go to Rio. With a U.S marshal." She tucked her hair back behind her ears. "He wouldn't say why, just that he had to." She fiddled with her purse, unsure of what to say.

"I know." Kyle sounded morose. Laila looked over, hoping for some sign of what he knew. "Julia said she would do this. I told Dad to leave her alone, I told him. She was upset, she does these things when she's upset."

"Kyle, what did Julia do?"

"When Dad went to Rio, he killed a man named Antonio Riaz. The guy who shot his old girlfriend. Mom said, that if he kept poking around she would send him back to Brazil to face those charges." Kyle spat out angrily. He turned into her parking lot, stopping by the door to the apartment building. "I thought she was just thinking out loud. I didn't think she'd do it."

"Kyle," Laila said as she got out. "Your mother needs help. I hope we see each other under better circumstances next time." She walked in, listening as Kyle revved the engine and pulled out. She sat out on her balcony when she got back up. Laila looked over at the empty chair, remembering how they had spent so many nights out here, talking, laughing, or just watching the surf roll in. And now she was alone, like she had been before. She looked up at the moon, voicing her thoughts. "Horatio, come back. Please."


	5. All In

Laila walked to the door, rubbing her eyes. She hadn't slept this bad in months. She had received a quick call from Tripp this morning, Horatio was back and was on the job. Frank just wanted to tell her, Horatio was too busy trying to find Calleigh. She had thanked him, wished them both luck in finding Calleigh, and had sat down, relieved. She looked through the peephole, blinking in slight disbelief. Julia was standing there, Kyle by her side. She opened the door a crack. "Why are you here?"

"Horatio said we could hide out here until he arrests Ron." Julia just barreled head on past her, Kyle following behind. She closed the door, looking out into the hallway before moving back inside.

"Back up, Ron?" She said, noting how Julia surveyed her apartment.

"My boyfriend. He might have kidnapped one of Horatio's team and Horatio said we would die if we stayed around Ron." Julia wiped at her eyes, and Laila handed her a tissue before she continued. "He said we should come here, that he would call once he had Ron pinned for something."

Laila sighed, "Just don't get to comfortable." Kyle had already assumed the position his father loved, leaning back and watching television. She walked to her bedroom, retrieving her latest read. When she turned around, Julia was standing there. "Yes?"

"You don't know him." Julia whispered. "He's not what you think. You think you're so happy together, and then he's gone."

"If I remember right, you left him. And you sent him to South America! Do you know how dangerous that it? You could be killed for just being a cop!"

"You can in Miami too! It was to keep him safe, away from Ron."

"Julia, why are you with him if he's so dangerous? It seems very self-destructive." Laila huffed, sliding her fingers down the side of her book. "Horatio's right, you need to get away from him.""

Does he even do anything with you? Go out dancing or for dinner?" Julia snapped. "All he does is work, he never makes time for anything else. Not for me, not for Kyle, not for you. And you think you love him."

"I do love him, and he does go out with me. Julia, I don't want to do this. Alright? You can hang here until Horatio says it's safe. But I'm not going to get in a knock down, drag out fight with you, okay? Now, if you'll excuse me." Laila stepped past her, going to the balcony. A few hours later she heard Julia's phone ring, and she began to talk loudly, arguing. Laila ignored it but looked up when the door slid open. Kyle was standing there, the handle in his hand.

"We're leaving. Thanks for letting us hide." He said, then let the door slide closed. Laila shook her head slightly as he walked out, settling herself in for a long wait. And what a wait it was. Horatio didn't arrive back until late at night. The dinner she had made sat on the table, cold. She herself was sitting by it, nodding off when she heard the scrape of a key in the lock. She lazily opened an eye, more listening than watching. She heard the thunk of a suitcase on the ground, the crunch of Velcro as he undid his holster. Then there were footsteps, strong and steady footsteps coming towards her.

"You're back." She whispered, smiling as she tried to rouse herself.

"Yeah." His voice was soft, concerned. He didn't even pay attention to the dinner she had laid out. "I am."

"Is Calleigh okay?"

"She will be, she's strong." He smiled tightly. "Thank you for letting Julia stay here for a bit."

"It was nothing." She touched the side of his face. "Just had to deal with her for a little while." He took a deep breath in, smirking. "Horatio? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but why were you with her?"

He waited a moment before responding. "She was beautiful, and when I met her she was caring and nice. She was down on her luck and I thought I could help her, but I was wrong." He reached for her hand. "And then I met you. You are everything she wasn't. Constant, kind, supportive. I know you won't leave for some flighty reason, like she did. You're honest. Julia may be beautiful, but she's nothing like you."

"I love you, Horatio."

"I love you too."


	6. Going Ballistic

Laila was sitting up, waiting for him. This was later than he had ever been out, even for cases where he had been chasing down nocturnal club hoppers. She was worried, having received no calls or messages from him for the whole day. Dinner was keeping warm in the oven, but she had no appetite. She just wanted to know that he was safe, that he was home. Her head jerked up when she heard a knocking on the door. She stepped over, breath hitching in her chest. She could see Ryan through the peephole, and she knew. Her stomach dropped to her toes, her heart jumped in her chest, and she knew. The tears had already started when she opened the door.

"Laila," Ryan said. "I'm so sorry. So, so sorry." He held out a glasses case. She opened it up, praying that it wasn't what she thought. But it was, his sunglasses, cracked and broken. A bullet hole through a lens.

"Say it." She whispered.

"What?"

"SAY IT!" She yelled, grabbing the lapels of his jacket.

"Horatio's dead." Ryan spit it out, stepping back. Laila turned around, running back into her apartment. She slammed the door shut, holding the sunglasses to her body. She ran to her south, wrapping herself around the sunglasses. She could hear Ryan banging on the door, saying something that she couldn't and didn't want to hear. All she could feel was the hole in the middle of her body, the sudden feeling of everything that had been good in her life being ripped away. She didn't want to be around anyone right now. She heard Ryan leave, and over the next few hours more of the team showed up. Calleigh and Eric came by, offering their condolences through the wood. By that time she had stopped crying, instead letting silence overwhelm her grief. Frank was the only one who came in. He walked over, not even speaking. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she knew he felt the same way she did.

"Let's get you something to eat." He said, moving to her kitchen. He returned with the two plates she had prepared before this had all happened. She took one look at the food, then threw her face down into her hands and bawled. Frank awkwardly put a hand on her back, rubbing it slightly. "I know, I know."

"Why?" She hiccuped the word out. "I didn't even get to say goodbye. And he's gone." She sobbed, pressing the sunglasses closer to her.

"Shh," Frank replied, instead holding out dinner to her. "Don't think, just eat." Laila tried, nibbling on a potato but it held to no flavor. Frank stayed where he was, occasionally prodding for her to eat when she stopped. Finally the plate was empty, she was full, and she felt nothing. Frank took his leave, telling her to call him in the morning or in the middle of the night if she needed to. She merely nodded, her fingers moving over the leather surface of the glasses case she still held. She laid down in her bed, not even bothering to change out of her clothes. All she could focus on was the sunglasses case and the fact that her bed was empty and cold. Her dreams that night were black and red, and empty of any love.


	7. Resurrection

The next morning she didn't want to get out of bed. The sunglasses case was still on her nightstand, and she gently brushed her fingers up against it. It only made the ache in her heart worse. Because he was gone, gone gone gone. She knew she should do something, call her parents, go claim his body or meet with his lawyer to begin the process of fulfilling his will. She fell back onto her pillow, sobbing. "Tomorrow, I'll do it tomorrow."

There wasn't much else for her to do but let the grief and sorrow run over her. It was late in the afternoon before she even got out of bed, wrapping her hand around the case and bringing it with her. She sat in the sun, opened the case and ran her fingers over the broken lens, the wire that was bent slightly but still held the lenses in place. This was all she had, all that was left. She sniffed when she heard a knocking on the door, almost unwilling to rise. But she did, even if it was just someone else coming by to offer their sympathies.

When she opened the door, she almost fainted.

Horatio was standing there, a new pair of sunglasses in his hand and a small, sad smile on his face. Laila tightened her fingers on the door, swaying but unwilling to give in to the unconsciousness that threatened to consume her. Her first thought was to slap him, make sure he was real and not a hallucination her addled mind had dreamed up. Her second thought was to slap herself and make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"You're dead." She whispered. "They came by and they said you died, Ryan he-he-" She turned around, floundering for the sunglasses case, her proof. They skittered across the floor before she was able to grab it and bring it over. He had come inside, closing the door behind him. She extended them to him, unsure of what she should do. He opened the case, smirking before setting them aside.

"I faked my death," He explained, "I needed to be dead to do what needed to be done."

"But your team, they all said." She mumbled, rubbing at the tears that had started to come.

"It needed to look real, it had to be. I couldn't tell them, only Ryan knew. Because I asked him to help."

"And me? You just left me here? I thought you were dead and gone. I cried, I didn't know what to do with myself." Laila snapped.

"It had to look real, and I am so, so sorry you had to go through that." He replied, bringing a hand up to cup her face. His voice was strained, slow. "But I'm back now, alright?"

"But what if this is just a dream? What if I wake up tomorrow and you're really gone?" She whispered, bringing her own hand up to cover his. This may be all a dream, something her mind made up to ease her through her grief. Horatio leaned in though, pressing his lips to hers. He felt firm, warm, real and when his hands tightened around her race the warmth that raced through her made her realize that this was real. That she could remember last night as some tortured dream, and this was reality.


End file.
